Thomas Stohlgren, PhD.

Senior Research Scientist

Natural Resource Ecology Lab


Fields of Expertise

Ecosystem Dynamics

Areas of Interest

Invasive species, Biodiversity, Landscape ecology


Biography

Tom Stohlgren, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Scientist at the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, where he has held an Affiliate Faculty position since 1991. Tom is recognized as one of the top ten most productive scientists in the world in the field of biological invasions. He has published over 200 scientific papers and a textbook on methods of assessing plant diversity. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry from the University of California, Berkeley; Master’s degree in Biology from California State University, Fresno; and, Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis. Tom enjoyed working for the U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, and the Department of the Interior for 35 years. Stohlgren has won several national awards including two Partners in Conservation Awards, and the Meritorious Service Award. In September 2012, Stohlgren received the top honor of “Resident Distinguished Ecologist” by a vote of faculty and graduate students at Colorado State University. He teaches graduate classes on philosophy of science, invasion ecology, and technical writing. Because of his expertise on biological invasions, he is invited around the globe to lecture on harmful invasive plants, animals, and diseases. In his copious spare time, Tom has authored six novels and over 30 screenplays. He is proudest of his dozens of brilliant and successful graduate students — the NGOSs as he calls them, the Next Generation Of Scientists.